Race 4 - Day 23
Crew Diary - Race 4 Day 23
11 December

Well, it's the 11th of December (day 23) with 333 miles to go (at the time of writing), and we are slowly but surely making our way to Fremantle, Australia. I won’t lie, we are all starting to feel a little frustrated at the lack of wind coming our way, not to mention the wind holes we can’t escape, but in the words of Dale Smyth (our Leg 2 Skipper) ‘That’s ocean racing’. So, we continue our watches, rotate on galley duty and keep munching our way through the biscuit supply. (Thank you, biscuit fairy, a.k.a Rob!) Our current ETA is late 13th or early 14th December 2023.

We are also using this time to get ahead of a few custom requirements and maintenance/sail repair.

Klas, Jo and Greg (our ever-patient sail repairers) have been making repairs to our Yankee, main sail and stay sails where we had a few small tears and rips. This will help save time in port, plus free up as much of their time to fix the Code 2 spinnaker which currently sits with its head torn off (sorry Martin from Hyde sails).

Also, ahead of coming into Australia, Rob (our amazing victualler) is doing inventory on food, ensuring we don’t take anything banned into Australia. (Anyone ever watched ‘Nothing to declare’ on TV?) The additional days at sea have provided Rob with a chance to use up the food that we cannot take in, which has led to some interesting ‘inventions’ for meals and spoilt us with cake for breakfast. The crew are also cleaning bilges and re-bagging the rubbish (glamorous) to ensure we pass the customs boat inspection with flying colours.

To all our loved ones and supporters waiting for us in Freemantle, I promise, we are coming, and we will be even more happy and grateful to see your lovely faces and hear your cheers as we moor up.